5 Things To Know About The Rolex Yacht-Master II

First introduced exclusively as an all-gold wristwatch in 2007, with several more affordable variants introduced since then, the Rolex Yacht-Master II is a rather unusual offering from “The Crown” that is surely worth our attention. In essence, the Rolex Yacht-Master II is an unapologetically bold in its appearance, but it also has the brains to go with the looks as well, featuring a rather unique, programmable, and indeed staggeringly accurate caliber inside. Here are the five most important things to know about the Yacht-Master II.

The Yacht-Master is the largest case size Rolex presently makes. At 44mm in diameter, the case is available in steel, “Rolesor” or steel and gold, as well as in either yellow or white gold. The Rolex Yacht-Master  II wears rather large not only because of its 44mm diameter, but also thanks to the more angular lug design that Rolex developed for this model. If it is a bold-looking Rolex that you are after, or you just prefer larger timepieces in general, Rolex has you covered with the Yacht-Master II, or its distant relative, the 44mm Deepsea Sea-Dweller that’s intended for plumbing the depths, instead of lounging around on deck.

The Rolex Yacht-Master II is not only bold – it is smart as well. At its debut in 2007, Rolex created a complication that still remains exclusive to them: a unique iteration of the regatta countdown chronograph. It’s not only a countdown chronograph, but a programmable one at that. Pick any time period between one and ten minutes, and the chronograph will do the countdown precisely as soon as it’s started. This feature was developed for sailors competing in yacht races where they have to accurately measure the 10-minute countdown to the start of the race.

It’s a complex movement but easy to use. It may sound complicated at first, but the engineers at Rolex have tried to come up with a user interface that makes the complex mechanics easy to use – and difficult to break. Officially called the Ring Command bezel, the unique looking bezel of the Yacht-Master II can be rotated counterclockwise to access, set, and then lock the programming of the 10-minute countdown chronograph. With the bezel in the setting position, rotating the crown moves the large central hand along the one to ten minute scale, programming the starting point of the countdown chronograph timer.

The patented Ring Command bezel, features a Cerachrom insert, except on the white gold version where the bezel insert is solid platinum. An extremely hard, proprietary, corrosion-resistant ceramic that is not only virtually scratchproof, its color is also resistant to fading caused by sunlight. The numerals inside the bezel are coated with gold or platinum, for that added bit of sheen.

Rolex submits every movement to COSC chronometer tests, which ensures that all movements that have passed tests that demand they maintain timekeeping of between -4 and +6 seconds per day. However, Rolex has recently introduced their own Rolex Superlative Chronometer test which, unlike COSC, tests movements inside a watch case, instead of just a raw movement, ensuring that they run between -2 and +2 seconds per day – truly remarkable precision from a completely mechanical movement.

The Hour Glass is the official retailer of Rolex Timepieces.

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